The Latest: Apr 2019

Name: Chris and Noel Clayton, their kids, and lots of pets Location: Adrian, Missouri Size: 3,200 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Chris and Noel’s home seems like an episode out of HGTV’s “You Live in What?” The entire house—including the grain bins, but also much of the building material and fixtures—was sourced from secondhand places like estate sales, auctions, and yep, even dumpsters.

Name: Elyse DeLisle and Amanda Goelz and their cats Pig and Poe Location: On the road; Currently in Palm Springs, California Size: 240 square feet/ 34-feet long Years lived in: Owned — We began renovating the trailer in Spring 2018 and started living in it in July 2018. There were two things Elyse and Amanda wanted to do together: renovate a home and travel. They were living in Melbourne, Florida, when they decided to buy a fixer-upper.

Name: Steve and Nikki Carlson Location: Encinitas, California Size: 544 square feet Years Lived In: 4 months, owned Our home, which we named “Cottage + Sea,” is a tiny 544-square-foot beach bungalow studio steps from Moonlight Beach in the quaint surf town of Encinitas near San Diego, California. We never knew we could live tiny.

Name: Kaitlyn McGowan and Evan Walker Location: Downtown Gainesville, Florida Size: 1,400 square feet Years Lived In: 16 months, renting Our home is a 1930s-ish converted duplex that I share with my partner of four years, Evan, and our cat, Rasputin, or Poots as we call him. Located downtown in a college town, our place has seen some interesting, fun, and scary renters.

Name: Hannah Wilson Location: Dallas, Texas Size: 1,300 square feet Years Lived In: 5 months, owned My husband and I own a home remodeling/design company called Blank Slate Renovations. He is a licensed contractor and I’ve recently graduated with a degree in interior design. We flip houses full time and are always looking for the next project or creative outlet. We found our current abode here in Dallas through an investor that had previously sold us a project a few years back.

Name: Elizabeth Podlesnik Location: Queen Anne — Seattle, Washington Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Back in June, this former personal stylist-turned-photographer got an itch to redecorate. Like, seriously redecorate. “I sold everything on Craigslist and Offer Up, and started from scratch,” Elizabeth told me. I was slightly jealous of the adventure she’d just been on. From scratch, you say? Swoon. I really do have a thing for blank slates.

Name: Emily Berger-Crawford, husband Chris Crawford, daughter Edie, dog Lilly and cats Chester + Charlie Location: East English Village — Detroit, Michigan Size: 1,650 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned Our house is well loved and full of character, a perfect home base for our family to relax and enjoy watching our 4-month-old daughter grow up. Although it’s a constant project (and sometimes headache), we feel like we lucked out in finding it with so many details in tact.

Name: Katie Zamprioli Location: Sunland-Tujunga, California Size: 1,222 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned Katie Zamprioli (or @katiemackmusic as she’s known on Instagram) didn’t set out to make her home Insta-famous, but once she began posting photos of her candy-colored desert-meets-jungle interior, the fans came pouring in. In just one year she has transformed her Los Angeles-area home into a fully decorated oasis, where every inch is worth a closer look.

Name: Desiré van den Berg and her sister Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands Size: 775 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Desiré has a talent for decorating her space on a budget. “My whole living room, I’d say—under 1000 euro.” This includes seating, a coffee table, dining table set, and framed art. Not only does the space feel cohesive, but she threw it all together within a week of moving in.

Name: Naimah and kitties Location: West End — Alameda, California Size: 370 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, rented Having spent the past few years at college in the South, Naimah didn’t expect the Bay Area’s competitive rental market when searching for the tiny Alameda studio apartment she now calls home. “The rental market in the Bay is wild, so this building was actually the first and only one that I saw,” she says.

Name: Hope and Pete Colling Location: Abaco, Bahamas Size: 1,047 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned We first got a peek at couple Hope and Pete Colling‘s style in the house tour of their Eichler in California.

Name: Keely Mann Location: The Woodlands — just outside of Houston, Texas Size: 3,500 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned Keely Mann, her husband, and small children moved to Houston from California over a decade ago. After adding two more kids to the mix (for a total of four!), The Manns were in need of a larger home. They settled in The Woodlands, Texas, a large suburb outside of the Houston City Limits, which gets its name from its sprawling forests.

Name: Debbie and Martyn Wright Location: Clevedon, North Somerset, United Kingdom Size: 3200 square feet Years Lived In: Owned for 4 years After the children left the nest, Debbie and Martyn Wright decided it was time for them to create their dream home. Having searched for four years, they finally found this 1960s bungalow, which sat on an amazing plot with uninterrupted views of the countryside.

Name: Emilie Schiller, David Kramer, dogs Gus and Scarlet Location: Hampden — Baltimore, Maryland Size: 1,300 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned Our home was somewhat of an impulse purchase, which is not usually how home purchases go, but it’s how ours went. My now-husband Dave and I were living together in a different neighborhood in Baltimore in a house that he purchased before we got together.

Name: Chambers Austelle Location: Charleston, South Carolina Size: 1,374 square feet Years lived in: 5.5 years, renting Chambers Austelle is a renowned artist based in Charleston, South Carolina. She’s actually lived in Charleston all her life; she grew up learning to swim at her family home on East Battery. This connection to her city continues to be strong and she’s heavily involved in the artistic community.

Name: Liz Martin Location: Charleston, South Carolina Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, owned Charleston blogger and shop owner Liz Martin has a simple mission: to make every day feel like the weekend. And according to Liz, it starts at home. “It’s about being surrounded by little things that make you smile,” she says. “[things like] fresh flowers, glorious candles, and fun decor.

Name: Alice Kendall Location: Wonderland Tattoo, SE Portland, Oregon Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 5 months, renting Alice Kendall is one of the most sought-after tattoo artists in Portland. She opened her shop Wonderland in 2013, and quickly established her ranking as a top artist in one of the nation’s most inked cities.

Name: Lysa Jordan, Sergio Castano and dog Walter Location: Montreal, Quebec Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, renting Artist Lysa Jordan and architect Sergio Castano live with their dog Walter in a working and living loft nestled in the Saint Henri neighborhood. Quite unconventional from typical Montreal apartments, their pad is a modern, minimal, and creative space for both of them. “It’s a stimulating and inspiring place.

The apartment is on a top floor of a classic French building—envy-inducing enough already—but the views inside and out are really something.

They pulled up carpet, repaired the original floorboards, added a new plywood ceiling, and painted the shack inside and out.

Name: Pilar Zeta and husband Location: Portland, Oregon Size: 3,500 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned Let 2019 be the year of exploring homes that are inspiring representations of the people who live within.

Name: Christin Haussman, my husband Lars, with our two kids Calle and Emma. Location: Upplands Väsby — North of Stockholm, Sweden Size: 2,000 square feet Years Lived In: Myself 4 years, the hubby 12 years, owned I am originally from Germany but have lived in England and Scotland, until moving to Sweden five years ago. Sweden is a bit of an outdoorsy-type country, so I was like let’s start a new hobby!

Name: Adrianne Herold (and my fiance Dylan and our cat, Scavenger) Location: Champaign, Illinois Size: 1,005 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, renting We actually lived across the parking lot in the same complex but in a two-bedroom and one day I noticed them ripping carpet out of some units and replacing it with wood paneling. I quickly asked our landlord if we could just transfer our lease to one of the updated units and she actually let us do it!

Name: Lauren MacLean Location: Montreal, QC, Canada Size: 700 square ft Years lived in: 1 year, rent Born and raised in Ontario, a few years ago Lauren was ready for a change and looked to Montreal for a new adventure. Knowing little about the city, she was nonetheless drawn towards its culture and beauty. “I found a listing online for a tiny vacant studio, so I checked it out and loved it right away. It was one small room with zero closets,” she says.

Name: Kira Cole and two cats Location: Gold Coast — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,080 square feet Years Lived In: 8 months, owned My home was built in 1892, originally as a single family. In 1978, it was renovated into condo units. I actually grew up in the unit below, so I was very familiar with the building and neighbors when purchasing! When I first got my hands on it, it had not been renovated (not even paint touch-ups) since the 1978 renovation, so it was in serious need of love.

Name: Molly Bernard, girlfriend Hannah, and Henry (her eight-pound rescue mutt!) Location: Brooklyn, NYC Years lived in: Just a few months! Proud and terrified first time home-owner!

Name: Maggie Smoller and family Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Size: 1,600 square feet Years Lived In: 4 years, owned Since the day we closed on this house four and a half years ago, we’ve been putting our stamp on it room by room. As self-proclaimed homebodies, there’s nothing we love more than staying in and getting cozy, and it was so important to create a home that we loved being in and living in.

Name: Latisha Carlson, husband Matt, and their three kids Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico Size: Just under 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, owned Photographer Latisha Carlson, her husband Matt, their three kids, and the dog all live in a renovated modern bohemian dwelling. In the heart of a residential street in Albuquerque, their house has not only been a personal DIY renovation, but a place for Tish to hone in on her passion for interior design.

Name: Becca Tobin, husband Zach Martin, and Orly Martin the dog Location: Laurel Canyon — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years Lived In: 2.5 years, owned We moved into our home a little over two years ago. We were drawn to the space because the house had so much charm! Los Angeles is filled with a lot of new construction that feels really sterile, so this 1930s gem felt super special.

Name: George Mendes and Siamese cats, Roscoe and Daisy Location: Downtown Brooklyn, New York, New York Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years George Mendes knows good food. He’s the chef behind Aldea, the Michelin-starred New York restaurant whose offerings reflect the cuisine of his parents’ native Portugal. He’s also the inhabitant of a beautiful Brooklyn apartment that seems an embodiment of the mantra “less is more.

Name: Laura Santora, husband Kevin, daughters Ellie (6), Evie (4), and Dylan (1), plus dogs Moco and Oliver Location: Mission Viejo, California Size: 3,450 square feet Years Lived In: 3.5 years, owned When looking for a new home three and a half years ago, we wanted something with enough space, some character, and something we could make our own.

Name: Meredith and Luke Coe + our 1.5-year-old son, Nathan Location: King of Prussia, Pennsylvania Size: 1,830 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, owned My husband and I bought this home (our first!) in May of 2017. It was very dull and slightly neglected when we first bought it—all of the walls were a shade of brown or yellow and the floors were in need of some serious TLC. We’ve been able to make several minor updates that have really helped turn it into a space we love!

Name: Kaitlyn Shimazaki Location: Belmont Heights/ Belmont Shores — Long Beach, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Kaitlyn has one of those quintessential beach cottages we all imagine landing when we move to California. Her small home is technically the guest house to a larger home, but she gets all the perks of a “standalone” building.

The Apartment Botanist, Alessia Resta, shares a peek into her small home filled with hip decor and TONS of plants.

Jody and Jon have turned this loft with tall ceilings into their hip, vintage-filled retreat.

Name: Gabrielle Silverlight, Brian Hamilton, and Miss Mabel the kitty Location: Kensington — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Size: Around 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, renting and own After years of renting a home and separate workspace, ceramicist Gabrielle Silverlight and her guitar pedal designer husband Brian Hamilton of smallsound/bigsound decided to buy a house.

Name: Lady Soule, Michael Ryan Handley, pup Jackson Location: Fishtown — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Size: 2,580 square feet Years Lived In: 2.5 years, owned If you have even the slightest hint of a bohemian style, you may have spent hours drooling over the patterned, textured furniture and decor delights offered up by Anthropologie. (Or is that just me?

Name: E.M. Ricchini, and kitty and a pup Location: Fishtown — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Size: 1,230 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, renting Philadelphia-based fashion blogger E.M. Ricchini knows how to put together an outfit as well as a stylish apartment. By day, she works in marketing and branding, but along with her style skills, she also writes, photographs, models, and travels, too.

Name: Jacqueline Sarah, my fiancé Joshua Zeolla, and our 5-year-old son. Location: Currently in Greenville, South Carolina Size: 200 square feet Years Lived In: 8 months, owned There’s so much to love about our tiny home. What I personally love the most is that the space truly uniquely represents my family and I. There’s a master bedroom that feels like our own little oasis, and a bunk/bunk room we created for our son so he too could feel like he had a space of his own.

Name: Michelle Qazi and family Location: Bellevue, Washington Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented Walking through Michelle’s front door, you see right away from her design aesthetic why she chose this particular home, which she shares with her husband and two young sons. The vaulted ceilings, wood-paneled walls, and windows that are forms of art in themselves, could not be a more perfect frame for the strong ’70s vibe the interior as a whole exudes.

Name: Marta Escoda, husband Albert, and kids Ivet, Marc, and Alex Location: Sabadell — Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned When personal shopper and stylist Marta Escoda decided to move into her grandparent’s apartment, she knew it would need renovating. But while she wanted a fresh start and to make new memories in this place, she also knew this apartment was part of her history and heritage, and desired to keep some of the original character.

Name: Cristina, Marc, Daniela, and twins Mateo and Marcos Location: San Gervasi — Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,450 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Cristina has interior design in her blood; for her it is a passion and a way of creating good feelings through beautiful visuals. She founded the multi-disciplinary design studio, CIRERA+ ESPINET, with her partner Mariona Espinet, and defines her personal style as breaking the mold.

Name: Clara Marina and family Location: Exaimple — Barcelona, Spain Size: 970 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting This modest Barcelona attic apartment actually started out as the building’s laundry rooms. After renovations, it’s now the bright, warm, nature-inspired home for a young family. After living in Chile for six years, Clara and her husband decided to come back to Spain.

Name: Naeme El-Zein and partner David Rousseau Location: Pointe-St-Charles, Quebec, Canada Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Naeme is a creative director, strategist and writer who’s worked with a variety of brands like PULP magazine, British Vogue, WANT Les Essentiels, and ALDO Group, to name a few. She’s passionate about boundary-pushing ideas, visuals, words, and experiences that evoke an emotional reaction.

Name: Lauri Carleton, husband Bort Carleton, kids Kelsey and Ari Carleton, Buoy the Aussiedoodle, Zorba the Yorkshire mix, and Jake the orange tabby Maine Coon cat. Location: Lake Arrowhead, California Size: 2,300 square feet Years Lived In: Owned, renovations for 7 years, lived in for past 5 years Our family planted their roots in Lake Arrowhead in the 1940s. Lauri grew up spending an extensive amount of time with her grandparents that had built a family lodge in Lake Arrowhead.

Name: Jennifer Jorgensen and two pups Location: Kingfield — Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: I purchased it in 2012, so 7-ish years… I had no idea until I just looked up when I bought it—that’s a long time! Jennifer is one half of the Minneapolis-based, custom hand-painted and printed wallpaper and furnishings company, She She. (Kate Worum is the other half of She She, and we toured her home, too!

Name: Kate Worum Location: East Isles — Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Not all Minneapolis brownstones are created equal. The moment you step into Kate‘s spacious apartment, you forget where you are. Kate, one half of the Minneapolis-based custom hand-painted and printed wallpaper and furnishings company She She, lucked out when she nabbed this spacious, bright, and beautiful upper floor apartment.